The California interscholastic federation (CIF) announced a rule change this week to allow more girls to participate in the upcoming state track-and-field championships following public backlash over the inclusion of a transgender athlete, reported AP.In a statement issued Tuesday, the CIF said it would implement a “pilot entry process” to extend entry to more “biological female” athletes. The new rule allows any athlete who missed the automatic qualifying mark but had the next-best result in their section final to compete at the state level.“The CIF believes this pilot entry process achieves the participation opportunities we seek to afford our student-athletes,” the organisation said.The change only applies to this weekend’s competition. The CIF did not say how many athletes would be affected or whether the rule applies to all events or only those where a transgender athlete has qualified for the final. This could be the first time a high school sports governing body in the US has expanded competition in response to the participation of a transgender athlete.The change was introduced after US President Trump criticised the participation of trans athlete AB Hernandez, a transgender athlete competing in girls track and field.Trump threatened Tuesday to pull federal funding from California if the state did not bar transgender students from competing in girls’ sports. “THIS IS NOT FAIR, AND TOTALLY DEMEANING TO WOMEN AND GIRLS,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.Hernandez is set to compete in the girls varsity triple jump, high jump, and long jump at the state finals. She won the Division 3 girls long jump and triple jump and placed seventh in the high jump at the Southern Section Division Finals on May 19.Parents and conservative advocates opposed to transgender girls competing in girls sports have criticized Hernandez and heckled her during postseason meets.After losing to Hernandez in the long jump at the sectional final, La Canada High School’s Katie McGuinness called on the CIF to revise its policy.California governor Gavin Newsom recently said on his podcast that it is “deeply unfair” for transgender girls to participate in girls sports.Last month, Democratic state lawmakers in California blocked bills that would have barred transgender girls from participating in girls sports.
